Retail inflation based on Consumer Price Index eased to 7.04 per cent in May from 7.79 per cent in April this year. As per the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation data released today, inflation slipped mainly due to easing prices in "Food & Beverages" and "Fuel & light" sections.
Food inflation in stood at 7.84 per cent in the corresponding period against 8.31 percent in the previous month. Inflation for fuel and light was 9.54 percent in
May this year against 10.8 in preceding month.
Food & Beverages have a weightage of more than 54 percent in Consumer Price Index while spends on Fuel & light weights around eight percent in the index.
The government has mandated the central bank to maintain retail inflation at four per cent with a margin of two per cent on either side for a five-year period ending March 2026.